Non-refillable dispensing-can.



s; STRAUSS.

NON-REFILLABLE DISPENSING CAN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.24,1906.

922,062; Patented May 18, 1909.

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SIMON STRAUSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

NON-REFILLABLE DISPENSING-CAN.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Serial No. 344,949.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON STRAUSS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Non-Refillable Dispensing-Cans; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in non-refillable dispensing cans or receptacles for teas, coffees, spices and the like, of that kind from which merchandise is dispensed from time to time in small quantities through a dispensing opening near the bottom of the can and provided between said dispensing opening and the top wall thereof with means for preventing refilling of the can through said lower dispensing opening after the original contents have been withdrawn.

Among the objects of the invention is to improve dispensing cans or receptacles of this character and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a non-refillable dispensing can made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view partially in plan and partially in horizontal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the drawer or scoop by which the contents are removed from the can.

[is shown in the drawings, A designates, as a whole, a dispensing can which may be made of any desired cross-section. It is provided with permanently attached bottom and top walls a a. The top wall is provided with a filling opening through which the can is filled at the packing mill and said opening is closed by a suitable plate or cap a soldered or otherwise suitably fastened to the upper wall or cover over said opening after the can has been filled. The contents of the can are dispensed therefrom through an opening (1- located in the front wall of the can near the bottom thereof. As herein shown, the means for removing the contents of the can therefrom consists of a scoop shaped drawer B adapted to be slid into and out of the can through said opening a The front wall 11 of said drawer or scoop is made of such dimensions as to overlap the side wall of the can around the dispensing opening a, thereby closing said opening when the drawer is in place. The said drawer is provided with a handle or drawer-pull B to facilitate the removal of the drawer.

Referring now to the means for preventing refilling of the can after the contents have been dispensed therefrom, the same are made as follows:

C designates a swinging, downwardly inclined plate or partition located within the can and hinged at one margin to the front wall of the can by means of a suitable hinge C The said partition extends from side to side of the can and is made of such length, from front to rear of the can, that it will not swing upwardly past the horizontal plane of the hinge, the free margin of said swinging partition striking the rear wall of the can to constitute a stop to limit the upward swing thereof. The weight of the contents of the can holds the said partition in a downwardly inclined position against a suitable stop or stops D which limits the downward movement thereof, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. l hen said plate or partition is in this position the interior of the can is divided into an upper and a lower compartment A A respectively, which communicate through the passage a between the free end or the margin of the partition and the back wall of the can.

In accordance with my invention a spring E is applied to said swinging partition tending to swing the partition into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which position it is arrested by engagement of the free margin thereof with the rear wall of the can. The said spring E, as herein shown, has the form of a spiral, contractile spring and it is attached at one end to a lug c at the lower or free margin of the partition and at its upper end to the top of the can in any suitable manner. The spring E possesses but little strength, its function being to draw the partition C upwardly against the stop, provided by engagement of the free'margin of the partition with the rear wall of the can. The weight of the contents of the can holds the partition in an inclined position, with the passage a between the same and the side wall of the can open, until the contents of the can have passed into the lower or dispensing compartment A after which the spring acts to swing said partition upwardly against its stop. -When the partition occupies this position the can cannot be filled through the dispensing opening inasmuch as the partition, in this position, closely fits the walls of the can and prevents material passing to the space between the partition. and top wall. of the can. Said partition, when occupying this position, cannot be swung downwardly, inasmuch as the margins of the partition closely fit the walls of the can entirely around said can and there are no projecting parts on the partition to grasp to draw the same toward the bottom wall of the can.

Means are provided to prevent the top wall of the can from being cut open without at the same time so distorting the same as to render the attempted opening of the can readily observable. For this purpose a plurality of Wires F F, disposed in transverse or crosswise relation to each other, are located immediately beneath the top wall of the can. Said wires are fixed relatively to the cover and, for this purpose, may be soldered at their ends to the side Walls of the can, or they may be soldered directly to the lower side of the top wall of the can. The purpose of said crosswires is to prevent the ready cutting away of a portion of the can top, as by a can-opener or a knife, to provide a filling opening through which the can may be refilled. he said wires interpose an obstruction against the action of a cutting tool that may be thrust through the can top of the can, they being'made of such size or gage as to resist the cutting action of such a tool. Moreover, the arrangement of the wires is such that if an attempt be made to cut an opening in the can head or top by the ordinary means for opening cans, distortion of the head will occur such as will render the attempted tampering therewith observable, thereby serving to protect the purchaser, who will understand that the can has been refilled.

The drawer-pull B is slidingly mounted in the front wall of the drawer so that when not in use it may be pushed inwardly so as to avoid an objectionable projecting part on the front of the can. For this purpose said pull is shown as consisting of an open loop made of a strip of metal that is bent to oblong, rectangular form, and embracing parallel side members b 12 connected by the integral transverse members b 6 The said parallel members slide in upper and lower slits in the front wall of the drawer. The outer end or transverse member b of the pull is disposed at right angles to the parallel side members, so that when the pull occupies its innermost position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the said end member lies flat against the front wall of the drawer. The advantage of a drawer pull of this nature in cans for this purpose is that the cans may be packed closely together when shipped or stored, no space being required for a projecting pull or knob often used in cans of this general character.

I claim as myinvention:r

1. A non-refillable dispensing can provided with a permanently attached top wall and provided at the lower end of its front wall with an opening, a drawer slidable'into and out of said opening and extending to the rear wall of the can, a swinging partition in the can located above said opening and hin ed at its forward margin to the front wall of the can and adapted for contact when in its uppermost position with the rear wall of the can, and a spring located within the can above said partition and attached at its lower end to the rear or swinging side of said partition and at its upper end to the top wall of the can, said spring being made of such strength as to permit the partition to swing downwardly at its rear side under the weight of the contents of the can, and acting tohold the partition in its uppermost position when the contents of the can have passed to the lower side of the partition.

2. A non-refilla ble dispensing can provided with a dispensing opening at its bottom, a swinging partition within the can above said opening arranged to permit free passage of the contents of the can from the upper part thereof to said dispensing opening but to ob struct the passage of material from said dispensing opening to the can space above said partition, a permanently attached top wall for the .can and a plurality of fixed crossires located immediately beneath said top wall, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention 1 my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 19th day of November A. D. 1906.

SIMON STRAUSS.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. HALL, T. H. ALFnnDs. 

